The funny thing about revenge is that it getting it might not make you feel all the way better about what got you upset in the first place. That’s worth keeping in mind for Drew McIntyre as he gets a one-on-one match with Jey Uso tonight on WWE Raw from Cleveland.
If you’ve been watching WWE programming over the past few months, you’re familiar with McIntyre’s grievances. Headed for one of the biggest victories of his career, in front of friends and family at Clash at the Castle in the fall of 2022, the Scottish Warrior instead tasted bitter defeat thanks to The Bloodline.
You may also recall that Jey Uso was a member of said Bloodline.
Jey has made amends with most people since becoming one of the top fan favorites on Raw, but McIntyre — who arguably had the biggest and most understandable gripe of all — couldn’t forgive or forget. That truth has shaped all of his actions as of late.
The question now is whether Drew will feel like that void inside would be filled even if he beats Jey. And the guess here is that no, it probably won’t. But that’s what makes McIntyre so compelling right now.
Oh, and there’s also something big going on with CM Punk tonight: He’s going to tell the world if he’s signing with Raw or SmackDown. Wonder if a certain World Heavyweight Champion might try to influence his decision one way or another …
We’re ready for all of this. We’re even ready to yeet again. Let’s do the thing.
WWE Raw results from Cleveland:
(please scroll down for full details on any match or segment in bold)
- Jey Uso welcomes everyone to Raw, is excited about having yeet back and says get well to Sami Zayn before he takes on Drew McIntyre; The Scottish Warrior says he doesn’t want CM Punk on Raw and offers a semi-apology to Zayn before explaining again why he’s justified in seeking revenge against Jey
- Drew McIntyre def. Jey Uso by pinfall after using a thumb to the eye to soften up Uso for a Claymore
- CM Punk’s promo from SmackDown is replayed ahead of his big decision tonight
- The Shinsuke Nakamura warning for Cody Rhode is played again too
- There’s finger pointing in The Judgment Day clubhouse, and plenty of blame to go around, but Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley get into it more than anyone
- Alpha Academy and The Creed Brothers fire up Maxxine Dupri, and Chad Gable warns R-Truth not to keep messing with The Judgment Day as he prepares to put holiday lights in their clubhouse
- Rhea Ripley def. Maxxine Dupri by submission
- A video promotes Kayden Carter and Katana Chance
- Adam Pearce is shown entering CM Punk’s dressing room
- CM Punk makes the choice to sign with Raw, setting off a passionate confrontation with Seth Rollins
- Bronson Reed and Ivar talk some asynchronous trash to each other as they get ready to do battle
- Bronson Reed def. Ivar by pinfall
- The Judgment Day says hi to Punk, with Priest saying he hopes Punk is the one to finish a story around here, because if he does, Damian will be the one waiting for him
- The Judgment Day tries to have some fun at the expense of R-Truth
- McIntyre tells Punk he doesn’t care about anything but finishing his story and that he has that figured out, and he quickly says hi to Kofi Kingston, Chad Gable and Ricochet, who Pearce wants to talk to
- Kayden Carter and Katana Chance def. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell by pinfall as Chelsea Green and Piper Niven watch on guest commentary
- #DIY discuss their mystery partner, not revealing his identity to Ludwig Kaiser, and Gunther stops by to wish them luck and express his skepticism over anyone teaming with them
- Becky Lynch wants to “end” the lie that Nia Jax made her career, but Jax is willing to make her wait
- Cody Rhodes says he’d be a lot more excited about facing Nakamura if he hadn’t been misted in the face, but agrees with Shinsuke’s assertion that he asked for this
- #DIY and The Miz def. Imperium by pinfall
- Gunther berates his flunkies as per usual, then turn arounds and finds Miz demanding an Intercontinental Championship rematch; Gunther grants it, but says the condition is that if he wins, Miz can’t challenge for it again as long as he’s champion, and Miz accepts it
- Cody Rhodes def. Shinsuke Nakamura by DQ after Nakamura uses the mist on Rhodes, and a post-match attack gets in some more punishment on Cody until The Creed Brothers can make the save … but Nakamura runs down for one more shot as Rhodes is being helped to the back
Drew McIntyre continues further into the shadow realm, cheating to defeat Jey Uso
Spinning out of the opening segment, McIntyre doesn’t even get his jacket off before Uso sends him to the floor and the show to commercials. After the break, Jey gets a near fall with a cross body off the top.
McIntyre fires back to pummel Uso near the ropes, dropping right hands repeatedly. A vertical suplex follows, allowing the Scottish Warrior to continue his measured attack.
Jey takes some additional punishment in the corner and while strung through the ropes. Uso finally gets an opening, and he takes full advantage with a suicide dive before ads set in again.
We return to find McIntyre in the Tree of Woe, then quickly out as he sits up and hurls Uso off the top rope. He also used the bottom of the ring as a weapon during the commercials, which made for a pretty cool replay.
Uso fights back with right hands until a Glasgow Kiss halts him in his tracks. Drew goes up top but gets caught with a superkick to the gut when Jey rolls away. A Samoan Drop is next, but McIntyre kicks out at two.
McIntyre reaches back to execute a neckbreaker, then kips up. He heads to the corner opposite Uso but his Claymore attempt is countered with a superkick. An Uso Splash is next, but it catches nothing but knees, and Jey has to dig down to kick out at two following the Future Shock.
With Uso slow to rise, McIntyre removes the turnbuckle cover atop one corner. He rushes in again but no Claymore as a spear catches him first, and Uso earns another near fall.
As the ref looks at the turnbuckle, McIntyre thumbs Uso in the eye, following up with a Claymore to get the three count.
Rhea Ripley has little trouble with Maxxine Dupri
This seems like a tough spot for Dupri, though at least she has Ivy Nile out there to support her. She slaps the champ in the face early on, which seems more brave than smart.
Dupri doesn’t really pull off flinging Ripley into the corner with her legs, then gets slammed down afterward. And again. She ends up twisting Dupri like a pretzel with her knee on Maxxine’s neck, and a tapout isn’t long to follow.
Nile confronts Ripley after the bell, which is interesting.
CM Punk makes Adam Pearce happy, but Seth Rollins is not so thrilled
Adam Pearce says the man who’s coming out needs no introduction but does need to make a decision. Punk joins him in the ring and says he thought he was a bit sullen until he came out and saw the fans and the signs.
Punk says “we” have a decision to make and notes that Cleveland hasn’t always been kind to him. There are a lot of ghosts in these hallways, as he remembers his debut in this building and his return as world champion. The latter incident involved him getting kicked in the head backstage by Randy Orton and being stripped of his title.
Then 10 years ago, Punk had to make the hardest decision of his life, walking out in Cleveland. If you were disappointed when he did that, Punk apologizes.
He muses about how the deal that Pearce put together was better than the other brands, but he says that when he saw Cleveland was the location of tonight’s show, his mind was pretty much made up. Ten years ago he walked out, and tonight he’s walking right back in. Yep, Punk is home on Raw.
Punk signs for a happy Pearce, but someone is not: Seth Rollins. The World Heavyweight Champion heads straight to the ring to stare Punk down, then grabs a microphone. Rollins is offended by Punk calling WWE his home, though the fans chant for CM right after that.
Rollins accuses Punk of abandoning WWE and slandering the talent over the past 10 years. “This is not your home, this is my home!”
The champ calls the other talent and the fans his family and that he’ll do everything possible to protect it from people like Punk. Rollins says he wants to ensure that Punk understands something: “I hate you.” But if he’s going to be in WWE, Rollins wants him on Raw, because this is CM’s last chance, and either Punk will self destruct, or if he has changed and has any gas left in the tank, Seth can expose him as a fraud in a title match.
“I will wrestle circles around you, and I will make you understand in real time what it means to be the best in the world.”
Punk asks if Rollins is done and says this is Seth’s one pass to speak to him disrespectfully. He also confirms he’s entering the Royal Rumble and when he wins, maybe it’s Seth he’s coming after.
Bronson Reed wins battle of big men with Ivar
Big E, this one is for you! Reed gets off to a fast start, punishing his foe until a double clothesline puts them both down. They both take each other down on the outside as well, leading to commercials.
There’s more craziness when we return, with Ivar hitting a cannonball off the apron onto Reed. But the retaliation is even more impressive as it takes the form of a massive superplex, allowing Reed to get the three count.
The Judgment Day wants to remind everyone who they are, but The Creed Brothers aren’t listening
Trying to get some of their mojo back, the four men in The Judgment Day say they are putting everyone, old, new and returning alike, on notice. They’re about to specifically address The Creed Brothers when R-Truth joins them.
He’s confused about the locks on the clubhouse, getting him a tongue lashing from JD McDonagh. But Damian Priest invites him into the ring, saying he wants to hear what Truth has to say.
Alas, the first thing he has to say is that he thinks McDonagh should be kicked out. Second, Priest needs to quit calling himself the boss because it makes Mami mad.
Damian says everyone likes R-Truth … except him. Priest lays him out and the others join in, but The Creed Brothers come hustling to the rescue. They’re outnumbered, but that hardly matters as they manage to clear the ring anyway.
Becky Lynch wants to fight, but Nia Jax is content to make her wait
Wasting no time, Lynch says she’s here to call out Jax. While they’ve never had a singles match, they’re linked forever by the right hand that smashed Lynch’s face five years ago in a Raw vs. SmackDown battle.
After Becky gets in some barbs on Nia, Jax has heard enough and heads down to the ring. Nia says she’s right there in front of her better than ever, and says the punch was just a lucky swing … and it still almost ended Lynch’s career. Just imagine what her full force would do.
Jax claims Lynch owes her career to Nia, which Becky takes offense to as she should. It wasn’t just about a broken face but getting back up and persevering. The Man says she needs to end the lie or end Jax, which amuses Nia since she figures Becky needs to prove it to herself.
Lynch says she came looking for a fight and offers Jax a free shot, but Nia says Becky needs this a lot more than I do and walks away.
Cleveland’s finest: The Miz, #DIY join forces to defeat Imperium
Michael Cole reminds us how truly unlikely the team of Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and The Miz are given the history between them. That feels like a lifetime ago now.
DIY shows off their usual excellent teamwork early, but a big boot from Gunther to Ciampa changes that in a hurry before a commercial break.
It’s Imperium’s turn to show off some teamwork now, even with the issues they’ve been having. Gargano geta a hot tag, however, and his flurry leads to a slingshot spear to Ludwig Kaiser that forces a save from Giovanni Vinci.
The Miz finally enters the fray, much to the delight of his hometown fans, hitting a cross body and some kicks on Gunther. More kicks force the IC champ back into the corner, but only until Gunther can catch one of them and lock in a Boston Crab.
Things break down as multiple men hit the ring, and Gargano and Miz both hit tornado DDTs at nearly the same time. Miz gets the Figure Four on Gunther while Gargano gets the Gargano Escape on Kaiser.
Alas, Gunther tags Vinci, who drops an elbow on Miz. But Miz gets Vinci in position for a Skull Crushing Finale, and he hits it to secure the victory.
Shinsuke Nakamura proves it’s not about defeating Cody Rhodes
Is Nakamura more dangerous than he’s ever been? We’ll see here, but it is kind of crazy they’ve never wrestled a singles match before. Shinsuke is a step ahead of Cody early on, sending Rhodes to the floor with a sliding kick.
Rhodes is experiencing Good Vibrations when the broadcast returns, and his attempt to battle back is halted by another stiff kick. Shinsuke grabs a headlock as Cody shows to the ref he’s not fading.
A Cody Cutter is blocked, and Nakamura tries for an armbar, even countering out of a Cross Rhodes attempt to stay at it. Shinsuke hits his sliding release German suplex, smiling before a jumping knee off the top earns him a near fall.
A Kinshasa attempt is cut off by a low dropkick that chops out Nakamura’s legs. Rhodes hits a dragon screw with his foe trapped in the ropes, then drops him face first after lifting him in from the apron.
Rhodes administers a half crab, and Nakamura has to will himself to the ropes for a break. Both men go crashing to the outside as we break for ads one last time.
They’re back inside and slugging it out now. Nakamura wins that exchange, but Rhodes hits a flying forearm shot and a powerslam to regain the momentum. He has to fall backward, however, when Shinsuke hops on his back for a sleeper.
Both have slowed now, but Rhodes is able to catch his opponent with a Disaster Kick that’s good for a two count. Here come punches and a Bionic Elbow, and the Cody Cutter is on the mark too. Rhodes wants Cross Rhodes but gets the red mist to the face.
The ref calls for the bell, but Nakamura doesn’t care continuing his attack. A blinded Rhodes attempts to fight back, but Shinsuke drops him to his knees and hits the Kinshasa to the back of the head.
With Shinsuke wielding a chair, The Creed Brothers head down to prevent any more damage, and Nakamura decides to retreat since his job is done.
Except when Rhodes is being helped to the back, Nakamura comes running down and gets in one more shot. Thanks for nothing, Creeds.